


Promises

by kasuga (tokiwa)



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Angst, F/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, slow plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 14:30:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5589769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tokiwa/pseuds/kasuga
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She had made no promises to one, nor the other. Yet what was this hope she harbored deep inside of her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another relationship I wanted to build up slowly and explore. Don't blame me if I leave this one unfinished (lol). No "pack" mentality, no "Lord of the xyz Territory" bullshit, just good ol' vanilla Sesshoumaru. Can't say where I'd place him but definitely after a few encounters with Kikyou. Timeskip might be in order.

The grass was damp under her shoes, moisture threatening to permeate through the thin, worn soles. Rain had fallen earlier that evening, making the air cooler. She shivered in the darkness, but it was not due to the temperature. Her heart was cold, almost freezing, but she continued to wander deeper into the forest. Although her friends had protested and begged her not to, she thought she would find solace wherever she was going. She wouldn't remain back there. She couldn't.

She slowed down briefly as she approached a clearing. The soil was muddy and her feet almost sank in, but the smell of the earth reassured her. It was untainted. She didn't sense any evil energies. All she could feel was peace.

Putting her hand against a large tree for support, she inhaled deeply before stepping onto the fresh, green grass. It was growing wildly and vividly, and droplets of water rested upon it, undisturbed. It felt as if no other living being had come through before. Again, she attempted to sense presences, but among the trees, she seemed to be the only one to exist.

Finally, she reached the middle of the clearing. Her footsteps had gently sunk into the grass as she advanced. Looking up to the sky, she could see the moon shining brightly. She instinctively shielded her eyes as if it were sunlight. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She had wanted to escape sadness, but it only seemed to follow her stubbornly.

Slowly, she closed her eyes, freeing the droplets and allowing them to travel down her paling cheeks. The weather was cold, but she couldn't feel anything but grief. A breath of cool air kissed her skin, stinging the path taken by her tears. She compelled herself to wipe them away.

She was stupid to have hoped. After all, neither of them had made promises to each other. She thought he felt the same way, but she found out that it was only true to some extent. To his own benefit. She needed this moment to distance herself from the group and spend some time alone. She wanted to go home, but their adventures had taken them far from the well. Anyhow, she was here now, and finally by herself. She needed to think.

She knew she was nothing but a foolish girl with a naive heart. He had lived many times her age, yet he still acted like a brat. She imagined it must be the product of having slept a good fifty years. He would never take responsibility for the curse inflicted upon her, and she didn't expect him to. That damned curse called love. She loved him and he would never love her back. Not completely. Never. That she knew.

Even if the priestess Kikyou was dead, Kagome would never fill the gap in his heart. They had both seen different sides of the half-demon and held a different importance to him. But Kikyou was his first love. And to Kagome, there was nothing more special than a first love.

She wasn't okay with being a replacement but sometimes she was desperate enough to accept his affections. Desperate enough to reciprocate. She accepted that she too, was an idiot to have made him her first love. She hoped it would pass. She just wanted to be happy.

The wind picked up, causing her to hug her own arms and try to keep the heat from leaving her body. Finally she could feel the chill in the air. Her reflection had made her come back to her senses. With that, she spoke.

"How long have you been there?"

A demon entered the clearing, the moonlight seemed to make his hair shimmer and his eyes shine. He was alone.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, you know?" She sighed, brushing her dark bangs out of her face. The wind had caused more damage than she thought it was capable of. "But who am I to try to reason with you?"

"So you seem to have the ability to learn," he merely said. "Unlike my incompetent little brother."

As he offered no more, she thought it was her cue to speak. "What brings you here anyway?  I don't see your companions." Kagome eyed their surroundings.

"The same reason as you."

 _So to get away from it all, huh?_ she thought bitterly and glanced at him. He was standing a distance away, his gaze somewhere else. Perhaps he needed this time alone to think too. Despite his cold demeanor, he probably had a lot going on.

A comfortable silence filled the air. Somehow she felt closer to him now, thanks to their simple exchange. She felt like she should ask him something else but at the same time, she was quite apprehensive. She gave it a few more moments, remembering that he had the ability to make jokes... usually at the expense of his brother. Perhaps he really wasn't that harsh. She decided to break the silence.

"Have you ever been in love, Sesshoumaru?"

 "I see no point in being bound by such an intangible concept," he said, looking at her blankly. Somehow, it felt like he had been expecting this all along.

"But you have your pride. Isn't that an intangible concept too? And your friendships." She took a few tentative steps towards him.

"That is my choice, is it not?" His expression showed no signs of change as she steadily approached. "But which friendships do you speak of?"

"Jaken. And Rin. They're important to you. They're your friends. Maybe even your family." She was now a couple of arm's lengths away from him. He could very well end her life if he so wished to, but she knew he wouldn't. "You love them, don't you?"

"Were you not referring to an intimate relationship between two beings?"

"Oh, love, huh?" She tucked her hair behind her ears, trying to get it out of her face. "I did," she admitted shyly as she noticed that he hadn't denied her earlier statements. _So he does feel kinship. He honestly isn't as bad as Inuyasha claims._

"So that is the reason behind your tears."

Kagome provided no response. She thought about her situation again and her fingers curled into tight fists.

"He was a fool to have been beguiled by a human woman."

"She wasn't beguiling him!" she said, trying not to raise her voice.

"I was speaking of you."

She took a step back, confused. "You think I'm misleading him? You think he's in love with me of all people?" She paused, holding back the newly forming tears. "No, nevermind. You wouldn't understand how I feel!"

"You speak half of your thoughts and expect me to guess the rest. It is only obvious that I do not understand." Sesshoumaru took a step forwards, maintaining the distance they had between them before. "Do you wish for me to understand?"

Was this a poor attempt to show that he cared? She knew he was capable of compassion. She knew how he treated Jaken and Rin. He did care, but in unconventional ways. She took a chance.

"Yes," she wiped her tears away. "I do."

He looked straight at her, his face still unchanged.

"You've become soft haven't you, Sesshoumaru?" For the first time that night, she smiled gently. "No, you didn't become soft. You were always like this."

"It will rain," he said abruptly in response.

"Huh?"

Sesshoumaru turned to leave, the white fur on his shoulder billowing in the wind. "Go back."

"Are you worried... about me?"

"Humans are fragile," he stated, walking away. "Remember that."

"Will you be here tomorrow?" Kagome asked hopefully, but her only audience was thin air. Sesshoumaru had disappeared into the trees. She was alone again.


End file.
